BASKETBALL: Pekin’s Diekhoff honored again by conference

Thursday

McKendree University sophomore women’s basketball player Sydney Diekhoff from Pekin has been honored for the second year by the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

Diekhoff was named second-team all-conference this week. Last year, she was selected to the conference’s All-Freshman Team.

Diekhoff is the leading scorer in Pekin girls basketball history with 1,678 points as a four-year starter (2013-2017).

The 5-foot-10 guard has had a great season for McKendree (13-14, 7-11), based in Lebanon, Ill.

She’s the team’s leading scorer and ranks sixth in the conference with a 15 points-per-game average.

She’s scored in double figures a team-leading 24 times including a career-high 27 points Nov. 9 in the Bearcats’ season-opening win over Purdue University Northeast. Her 10 rebounds in that game also is a career-best.

There’s more. Diekhoff is McKendree’s best free throw shooter at 84.7 percent, which places in the top 40 in NCAA Division II.

And there’s more. Diekhoff is tied for the McKendree team lead with 41 steals and she’s second with 59 assists.

McKendree, the No. 8 in the conference tournament, will face No. 1 seed Drury in a quarterfinal game at 6 p.m. Friday in Edwardsville.

Steve Stein can be reached at (248) 224-2616 or stevestein21@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpartanSteve.

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